The Oriental Turn of American Wilderness Literature in the Twentieth Century

Abstract: Early-American wilderness literature mainly praised the vast, magical, beautiful, and pleasant natural wilderness, expressed ideas of returning to nature, and raised environmental protection awareness through the writers' personal experiences. In the late-twentieth century, American ecological literary eco-critics turned to Eastern philosophy, and then developed a post-modern ecological holism. Wilderness literature of this period also reflected a significant shift to the East mainly in three aspects: (1) In a manner recalling the observations of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, the range of wilderness literature extended to include wilderness in urban environments. (2) Corresponding to the East "Chaos" philosophy, literary speculation appeared in wilderness writing, trying to make the readers aware of limitations of a pure rational thinking from the level of ideology. (3) With the concept of "Dao," American wilderness literature reflected a consciousness returning to social issues and played a more engaged role in social responsibilities.